A Different Approach
by MagicAlpha
Summary: "I have a different approach for you, Tai Lung. With what I have planned for you, you will no longer have any desire or lust for power. Only you will go under a different name and have a different path laid out before you. I wish you the best of luck in your new life."


It was right then and there that a look of utter shock overcame me. My eyes looked down at my paw, placed in a finger hold by the chubby panda I never in a million years thought could defeat me.

At the flex of the pinky from the one who sought to vanquish me, I flinched his eyes in anticipation of what was about to come. I knew within that very second that this was the end for him. I knew that this was the moment that some would suggest the arrival of the black-hooded figure known as death itself.

Before I could even let out a gasp, I felt the views that were around me suddenly disappear, being replaced with an inky blackness. Even though this unanticipated occurrence came to pass so quickly, I felt a sense of deja vu that he couldn't explain. In some unusual way, it felt like all of this had already happened and that it was just repeating itself again…

* * *

I found himself walking in a straight line. Although he wasn't exactly sure where he was at the current moment, nor was he certain of how longe he had been walking or how far he had gotten.

My body felt unexplainably lighter, and the pain that previously coursed through me from the kicks and punches I endured was all gone. I continued to walk with no clue as to where I was getting to, and a beam of crystal-clear white light started to shine directly into my face. I grunted at the sight of it, quickly shoving a spotted paw over my eyes to protect myself from how blinding it truly was.

Even though the brightness was almost overbearing, something was telling me on the inside to step closer, to let myself be fully enveloped in it. And that was exactly what I did.

Still shielding my vision, I took a good number of steps forward until the white light started to dissipate. I lifted the paw away from his eyes and gazed at my new and very unusual surroundings. Encompassing me was an expanse of an almost-otherworldly shade of blue, with flecks of pink above, looking like clouds against an afternoon sky.

"Come closer," a serene voice beckoned.

My ears perked, and with that I started to run in the direction of the sound that he just heard. Getting closer in my field of vision appeared to be a slender fox, who seemed to be levitating. A white aura of luminosity, similar to what overcame me not even a few moments ago, encircled the vulpine's figure as he remained in a somewhat meditative state.

"And so you have arrived once again, Tai Lung," the fox greeted.

I looked back at him, more than unsure of what he meant by that. "Wait, where am I?" I asked. "Who are you, and how do you know my name?"

"You being unsure of your location would be expected of you," was the response I got. "You currently stand in fifth dimension of the astral world. This is a place only spirits can access. And as for who I am, I have not an actual name. I am referred to by many different titles."

I looked away from the fox and down at my own body, noticing that I now had some sort of aqua-colored illumination encircling me. My mouth naturally hung open as I peaked my head back up at who spoke to me. "The afterlife," I muttered. "It really exists."

"Of course it exists. What did you believe happens to you when you depart from the mortal world?"

"I guess I never believed that there was anything after that. That we just ceased to exist and there was nothing else for us after death."

"You've experienced this place on other occasions, and yet you arrive here again and remark the very same things."

I cocked my head like a curious bird. "What do you mean? I've been here before?"

The fox nodded his head. "Several times, as a matter of fact," he replied. "And it always is because you wish for another chance in the mortal world, to make sure you don't lose to the panda."

I started to feel even more confused. "What are you saying?"

"Did you feel like what happened to you already happened before?"

I nodded. "Yes, I did."

"The first time you arrived in this territory, you were devastated by the sensation of defeat. When I told you where you were, you yelled at me to take you back to the moment you battled The Furious Five. You said you wanted to make sure things occurred differently, and that they saw their end. So I returned you to the point in time when you came for them."

"What happened then?"

"That is _quite_ a stupid question to ask." The vulpine shrugged. "The same thing that happened to you now was exactly what happened then, as well as the time before that. You returned to that moment in time, and when you battled the Furious Five you would make sure your fighting method was different. A surprise kick would be delivered and an unexpected punch would be swung, but it would result in nothing changing. The panda would still manage to overcome you no matter how hard you tried, and you would end up right back here, unsure of what happened or how you got here. One time your demise occurred before you even reached him."

"W-What do you mean by that?"

"On one occasion, when you were fighting who confronted you on that rope bridge, you ended up accidentally plummeting into the chasm that you were suspended above. You said falling then was not meant to happen, so you went back and ended up right here now." The astral guardian floated closer towards me. "Allow me to show you."

I remained silent as the fox created some sort of orb with a wave of his paws, and it started to float up above him. As it started to grow larger, the projection of me fighting was displayed inside of it. I watched it as it showed me fighting Tigress before accidentally falling from the great height after flipping in the air. Shortly after that image faded, I let out a heavy, despondent sigh.

"I... I don't understand," I breathed as what I had seen disappeared before my eyes.

The guardian figure replied, "I would very well expect someone like you to not understand. And if you try time and time again to conquer who you didn't before, you never will." He paused a moment before raising a paw. "That is why I have a different approach for you, Tai Lung. With what I have planned for you, you will no longer have any desire or lust for power. Only you will go under a different name and have a different path laid out before you."

I was more than a bit hesitant when it came to what he told me. "C-Can you tell what's going to happen? I must-"

The vulpine shushed me. "No more questions," he interrupted. "All I can tell you is that I wish you the best on your new life."

And those were the last words that I heard before I suddenly felt everything I was seeing around him quickly dissipate.

* * *

The next thing I knew, I was laying down on my back in some unknown location, staring at some happy clouds as they rolled along by. Lifting myself up and peering to my sides, I tried to get an idea of what my new surroundings were. Although there wasn't exactly much to point out within my field of vision, I could tell that I was definitely near some flat field of crops.

I breathed a sigh, sagging my head down and raising an arm. The moment I did so, I noticed that I, without explanation, was no longer was a snow leopard. My large and spotted paws had somehow been replaced with slender hooves. I let out a gasp in shock upon making that realization.

I then got completely up from off of the ground and studied my body, seeing for myself that had completely taken on an _entirely_ different form and that this wasn't a dream.

"I'm a water deer?" I muttered to himself, becoming even more stunned when I realized that my voice was no longer the same.

"Jia!" a voice bellowed out in the distance, the source of it being another water deer working in the distance. From what my eyes could see, he seemed to be a little bit taller than I was. "Get over here and help me out!"

After hearing the beckoning for me to come over, I started to make my way towards who called for my assistance.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey there, everybody! Was brainstorming a few ideas I had for some future stories and this suddenly came about. I wanted to write something out with the main character being Tai Lung, and this was what I came up with. I know this was kinda strange, but I hope that it was still enjoyable to read. Perhaps this'll end up growing into a ****full-fletched tale of its own in the future. Maybe, maybe not. **

**What Tai Lung experiences is something I learned is called a temporal paradox, which is a contradiction that involves time. In his case, he keeps returning to the same point in time to try and stop Po and The Furious Five, but continues to fail as a result of that event being unable to change. And a****n animated short film I watched that depicted life after death was what inspired the portions where he was in the spirit world.**

**Again, the things a writer will read and learn about to make a story come to life are kinda crazy. XD**

**Anywho, hope you liked this little story of mine. As always, let me know what your thoughts were on this. Your feedback, whether it be good or bad, is gladly appreciated.**

**Buh-bye! :)**


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